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Meridian
Meridian is a large human city in Horizon Zero Dawn ''and the capital of the Carja Sundom. Founded by the first Sun-King Araman in the shadow of the Spire atop which perched Glinthawks they had followed from the 'Savage East', Meridian grew into a large city at the heart of the Carja Sundom.Founding Of Meridian History Beginnings Meridian was founded by the first Sun-King, Araman, after the people that became the Carja were driven out of their homeland. They wandered for an unknown amount of time, following the Sun and the Glinthawks. Along the way, many Carja died, Araman's own family among them. In spite of persecution and outright violence from other tribes, the Carja continued until Araman experienced a vision of what came to be known as the Spire. The Carja came to settle on the mesa surrounding the great tower, building the capital city of Meridian from the abundant local resources. As the city grew, the people prospered, and traders arrived from foreign lands. The Reign of Jiran The reign of the thirteenth Sun-King, Jiran, was a time of great turmoil for Meridian, culminating in his twenty-first year. Upon the execution of his older brother Kadaman for questioning his father's demands for sacrifices, Avad fled the city along with those soldiers loyal to him. He and his men crossed into Oseram territory, and thanks to his personal friendship with Ersa, were able to negotiate an alliance with the tribe. Months later and with an army of Oseram warriors and mercenaries, Avad marched on the capital. He hoped that his status as rightful heir to the throne would spark an uprising among the Carja and thus avoid large-scale death and destruction. His plan worked, as many Carja warriors retreated, surrendered, or even defected. However, the defenders of Meridian stood firm, and Avad was forced to order the use of Oseram cannons to decimate the outer walls. This was followed by a three-pronged assault; one group attacked the main gate, one scaled the walls nearest the temple, and another infiltrated the city through the irrigation tunnels. As Jiran's slave pits were opened, Itamen, Nasadi, Helis, Bahavas, and many of his loyal followers used the chaos to flee the city with whatever they could carry; they would go on to become the Shadow Carja. Avad personally confronted his father, hoping to convince him to surrender and avoid further loss of life. This time, his plan did not work, and Avad was forced to kill Jiran. Avad and the Derangement Battle for the Spire The final battle brought great destruction to the city and was the worst battle that Meridian had ever faced. They weren't prepared for the machines that would come. The Eclipse machines arrived from the west and were initially held off by the Oseram guns placed at the gate, but they got through the gates after Aloy was knocked out when they blew the wall up, dragging HADES in with them. The Eclipse destroyed The Royal Maizelands and Meridian Village as they passed through to get to the Spire, which was HADES' goal. The corrupted machines set the whole lower city on fire and the destruction was immense, the state of the area being obvious once Aloy is woken up by Teb). Aloy made her way up to the Spire and found that HADES was already transmitting a signal to awaken buried Faro machines. She killed the Deathbringer protecting it and defeated HADES using the master override she obtained during her exploring of the GAIA Prime facility. Aloy was greeted with cheers from the whole city as she stepped out, showing that HADES was no more. Notable Locations Hunters Lodge In the hear of the city a hunter's lodge can be found for elite, big-game hunters. Aloy must prove that she is worthy before gaining entrance. Once in, she can work her way up the lodge's hierarchy. Meridian Gate The Meridian Gate controls access to the city. Palace of the Sun This large palace accessible by bridge from the city is home to ruling Sun-King. Collectables Scanned Glyphs * #7 The Liberation * #8 The Mad Sun-King * #9 The Sun Faith Trivia * Another name for Meridian is "The City of the Sun".'The City of the Sun', Horizon Zero Dawn (in game) * A "meridian" refers to a line of longitude (north to south) from the Latin word for noon, ''meridianum, literally middle day. * Meridian is the only city that hosts unique merchants. * Meridian is located on a mesa in what the Old Ones called Eagle Canyon, in the state of Utah. Gallery Meridian Early Concept Art.jpg|Early concept art for Meridian Meridian Layout Concept.jpg|Concept art for the city's full layout Meridian Elevators Concept.jpg|Concept art for the elevators Erik-van-helvoirt-mer-bb-01.jpg|Architecture detail concept art by Erik van Helvoirt Erik-van-helvoirt-mer-bb-02.jpg Erik-van-helvoirt-mer-bb-03.jpg Erik-van-helvoirt-mer-bb-04.jpg Erik-van-helvoirt-mer-bb-05.jpg Erik-van-helvoirt-mer-bb-06.jpg Joseph-noel-props-1.jpg|Architecture concept art by Joseph Noel Joseph-noel-props2.jpg Joseph-noel-props3.jpg Joseph-noel-props-4.jpg Joseph-noel-props-5.jpg References de:Meridian Category:Sundom Category:Settlements